Grace's 4 month well-visit.

I took Grace to her 4 month check-up on Tuesday.

She has battle wounds to prove it. ;(


But the good news is....she is doing well. She's healthy! And when I say "healthy"....I do mean it in the literal senes....as she is health. However....I also mean it in the way that "she's healthy" as in "healthy!"

Look at her stats:

weight: 14 lbs, 8 oz (80th percentile)
height: 26 1/4 inch (97th percentile)
head circumference: 42 cm (75th percentile)

I don't remember what Parker's exact numbers were at 4 months....but I do know that she was in the 92nd percentile for her height and in the 45th percentile for weight (almost a whole pound less than Grace is at 4 months!!)

And I know why she is bigger (well...maybe)....she eats a LOT more than Parker did! With Parker...at 4 months....she was already consistently sleeping from 8 at night until 7 in the morning. Grace, on the other hand....does not. So she is getting 1-2 extra feeding per day!

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Ok. So. Naps.

I am in need of some input/advice/commenting/suggestions........

When is it that your babies started taking a good morning nap, a good afternoon nap, then maybe a catnap in the evening to hold them over until bedtime???

I know all babies are different. And when I talked to my pediatrician....she reminded me of that....and gave me some suggestions as far as getting her feedings to set times in the day....which we are now trying to do.....but not really much input on her naps. I am guessing that when we get her feedings down....her naps will follow??

I started out trying to make it to where she would eat.....then play...then nap. I have continued this...only....since she wasn't sleeping through the night....and her naps only lasting approximately 45-50 minutes.....then I got into the bad habit of feeding her almost every 2 and a half hours because if I waited until the 3 hour mark....she would have been up for too long and be overly tired....OR....if I went ahead and put her down when she was ready....then she would have gone down before she even ate....resulting in an even shorter nap. Does this make sense? I think I am even confusing myself.

So my thinking was that maybe if she got more calories during the day...that maybe she would sleep through the night? Obviously....this did not work. So why did I continue to do it for so long? I have no idea.

So for now...I am going to start waking her up at 7:30 (sometimes she doesn't make it that long...like this morning....she was up before 6:30)...and ONLY feeding her every 3 hours (like I probably should have been all along)...to 'train' her body to be hungry at those times. Is this when her naps will fall into place?? Am I completely overthinking this? I just think that she (and we) will all be happier if she weren't taking four 45 minute naps a day....and getting some better at night.

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And now....to finish off with a little sweetness....









I was just talking to Geoff (and my sister, too, I think)...about how much Grace has changed over the past week since she first turned 4 months old. She is holding her toys for longer....and in the car....she really likes to play with one of those crinkly books. It's just amazing.

She is such a happy baby....smiling at almost anyone that smiles and talks to her. It still makes my heart sink and melt every time I walk up to her and she starts smiling and flapping her arms and kicking her legs. I love it. I don't think I'll ever grow tired of that!